Driving a car thats "fully loaded" just 2 miles a day would drain down many batteries. Again, if a car like this is in hot demand and a waiting list exists, doesn't it make sense that its parts would be too
The smart was supposed to be a city car and as such should be capable of short trips without killing the battery. And no, I don't think that there should be a waiting list for parts too. They have had almost a year to stock their dealerships with parts and to train their staff, at this point there is NO excuse for not having a common consumable item like a battery. Remember that they essentially sell just one version of this car with all mechanical parts in common to the Passion, Pure and Cabrio.
yes ,I am somewhat sarcastic and dry @ an attempt @ humor. I felt it was obvious to ALL that the problem stems w/ the dealer and the DISTANCE. Anyone who has owned "many ,many" cars should know once you drive a new car off the lot its a whole new ball game. One should do there homework, because from now on its all about the service dept. of a dealership. Driving a car thats "fully loaded" just 2 miles a day would drain down many batteries. Again, if a car like this is in hot demand and a waiting list exists, doesn't it make sense that its parts would be too? PS. I have had mine since may 08 w/3500 miles and had only replaced a sensor by a terrific dealership in Smithtown ,NY.....Happy Holidays to all!
Thanks for the clarification. I'm glad you weren't just being mean or just typical of an unreasonable rabid Smart car fan.
I've known people who have owned car after car after car, looking for just the right one that can be driven from day one in whatever way they need to drive it and without a thought or worry about if it's going to work. These people know nothing about cars. They just expect them to work. If the OP is a medical doctor, then it's quite conceivable that when he needs his car, it MUST work. Like already said, the Smart is marketed as a city, economical car, meant for short halls. Perhaps 2 miles per trip is a little too short and perhaps he would do better with an electric or electric hybrid vehicle. Or maybe he just needs to install a Battery Tender on his Smart so it starts off with a full charge each morning.
Why not take it to Carmax and sell it to them for probably close to what you paid for it, rather than try to sell it to someone here after you have ran it into the ground verbally? I mean, since you decided to buy the car knowing that you lived far from a dealer and all - perhaps someone else will have done the research before picking it up second hand and know what they are purchasing?
If you feel that we are all being unreasonable on here - there might be a convenient unsubscribe function, as well.
Isn't the smart center Jackson, MS one of the most recently opened dealerships? This could explain a lot of the "teething" problems the OP has unfortunately been on the receiving end of with the service and parts department there.
I know this doesn't help the OP, and doesn't excuse the unacceptable customer service received, but, I am glad that by working his way up the food chain he was able to get this resolved a lot more quickly. The squeaky wheel gets the grease...
Merry Christmas to all. Just want to let everyone know that today I drove the car back to Memphis from Jackson, MS today. I proved that the SMART can make it thru torrential rain and 36mph wind gusts and survive. There is a service bulletin about the battery and it has nothing to do with me driving only 5-10 miles a day. Washed it and slicked it up and it is good as new. For mdfortwoguy; you know nothing about me or what I knew about this car. I knew alot about this car having had extensive experience with the European car. I am not an idiot (no matter what you think) and have many cars with no local dealers. I knew what to expect but this is still no excuse for ****ty service and a product with poor quality. Stop being so SMART sensitive and isn't a forum about exchange of information both good and bad. There are many good things about the car but there are also alot of problems. People need to know the truth.
The smart was supposed to be a city car and as such should be capable of short trips without killing the battery. And no, I don't think that there should be a waiting list for parts too. They have had almost a year to stock their dealerships with parts and to train their staff, at this point there is NO excuse for not having a common consumable item like a battery. Remember that they essentially sell just one version of this car with all mechanical parts in common to the Passion, Pure and Cabrio.
Merry Christmas to all. Just want to let everyone know that today I drove the car back to Memphis from Jackson, MS today. I proved that the SMART can make it thru torrential rain and 36mph wind gusts and survive. There is a service bulletin about the battery and it has nothing to do with me driving only 5-10 miles a day. Washed it and slicked it up and it is good as new. For mdfortwoguy; you know nothing about me or what I knew about this car. I knew alot about this car having had extensive experience with the European car. I am not an idiot (no matter what you think) and have many cars with no local dealers. I knew what to expect but this is still no excuse for ****ty service and a product with poor quality. Stop being so SMART sensitive and isn't a forum about exchange of information both good and bad. There are many good things about the car but there are also alot of problems. People need to know the truth.
Glad to hear you made it home ok. Now, do you still believe that people should not buy this "Stupid" car (referring to thread title), or do you believe the issue is more tied to a service manager that refused to work with you? I think most people's defensive responses are tied to defending the Smart when it's called "Stupid" just as they would defend a brother called stupid. If you think about it, it's kind of amusing that we personify and adopt a car as a sort of pet.
This forum is about the free exchange of information, good and bad, but everyone needs to get a grip and realize we're not attacking someone's little brother so much as venting frustration at the fact that 1) the battery failures are commonplace in the 2009s, and 2) a service manager failed to take immediate, simple corrective action. This sort of thing happens in all businesses and is part of a learning curve. Calling Dave Schembri for a battery would have been a waste of Dave's valuable time better spent getting more cars on the road. Going up the local chain of command appears to have worked as it should.
The automated manual transmission on the Mk II smart is subject to USDOT FMVSS 102 [which normally applies to fully automated transmissions] concerning the shift quadrant and pattern. This is how all automatic shift patterns changed to the P-R-N-D pattern we are all so familiar with. In the "old" days, there were alternate patterns [Packard had P-N-D-R, Chrysler had no P at all on their push buttons, several GM divisions had their own layout with and without a P position, etc.]. This shifter is unique to North American smart cars starting in 2008 model year.
I'm not convinced that's true, unless the FMVSS changed between 2006 and 2008. The 2005/2006 gray-market smart 450s converted by G&K still retained the original european shifter and pattern. Grey-market converted cars must meet all the same standards as any regularly produced US market car, and the G&K smarts certainly did. So, the shifter must have met the standards as well.
Based on this, the 451 US shifter appears to be a marketing tactic.
Stop being so SMART sensitive and isn't a forum about exchange of information both good and bad. There are many good things about the car but there are also alot of problems.
Maybe readers wouldn't be so "smart sensitive" if you had chosen a different title for this thread.... It was hostile and adversarial, so I'm not surprised at the responses.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Today
Linear Mode
